August 2017
Bat Behavioral Strategies for Improving Sonar Performance in Groups
Dr. Mike Smotherman Dept. of Biology Texas A&M University Department of Biology Seminar Presented by Dr. Michael S. Smotherman, Dept. of Biology, Texas A&M University Abstract: Bats emit loud ultrasonic sonar cries at rates of 15 to 50 pulses per second, while flying at speeds up to 6 meters per second through narrow caves and cluttered forest habitats. Bats are also highly social, often flying in dense streams and swarms, and how bats manage to navigate by sonar while also…
Find out more »October 2018
Behind the eyes of a leech. How simple eyes encode complex image features that inform behavior
Dept. of Biology Seminar Presented by Dr. John Jellies, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University Abstract: Using light to extract information about environments is widespread and beneficial for survival. Almost all animals have evolved specialized sensory capabilities to detect light and inform adaptive behaviors. Indeed, it has been estimated that eyes have evolved independently across Phyla upwards of 60 times, yet many of the substrates to generate eyes and the genes to guide their development have been highly conserved.…
Find out more »Selection shapes the hybrid genome
Dept. of Biology Seminar Presented by Molly Schumer, (Fall 2019) Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biology, Stanford University Abstract: In the past decade, it has become increasingly clear that hybridization is pervasive across a range of species, with cases reported for species across the tree of life. As a result, the genomes of many contemporary species harbor regions derived from these hybridization events. Because hybridization mixes two potentially divergent genomes, it can have important functional consequences. We use replicate naturally occurring hybrid populations…
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